<p>This brief report examines the origin of plant pathological science and plant diseases in India during the colonial period. Plant pathological science is one of the significant branches of plant science, tracing back to the ancient period. The phase of ecological modernity that adorned the colonial period significantly brought forward an altered plant pathological science. With the expansion of British rule, the whole scenario of plant science and agricultural practices changed in India. The British system of collecting taxes in cash monetized the crops. In addition to this, the high taxation system left the farmers hardly with any resources to fertilize the soil, treat crop diseases, and provide proper nourishment. The crops became disease-prone, and thus, crop failure became a regular affair. This led to the recurrent occurrence of famine in colonial India, taking a heavy toll on human lives and agricultural production. The famine commission, appointed in 1880, tried to solve this problem, and the Imperial Department of Agriculture was established in 1881. Lord Curzon played a crucial role in the development of agriculture and established an agricultural research institute for scientific inquiry at Pusa, Bihar, in 1905. Sir Edwin John Butler was appointed as the Imperial Botanist in India, a turning point in the field of plant pathology in India. Butler was a prominent figure at the Indian Agricultural Research Institute. His legacy can still be seen in the continued growth and development of plant pathology in India and worldwide.</p>